Believe it or not: the last time you saw Alice in Dairyland Halei Heinzel in Door County, it was the first time she put on the tiara inside the Stone Harbor Resort ballroom in Sturgeon Bay over a year ago. In between that night and this weekend’s finals, Heinzel traveled more than 50,000 miles between Crawford County, where this weekend’s finals will take place, and the Asian Pacific, where she joined state leaders in search of more trade opportunities for Wisconsin. Heinzel vividly remembers her Door County experience as she went around the state with her fellow candidates. Despite the connection, Heinzel could only get as close as Kewaunee County during her tour around the state promoting agriculture in elementary school classrooms and special events. She says the last 12 months have been ones she will remember for the rest of her life, and cannot wait to finish her reign where it started.

Her biggest tip for this year’s candidates, Allison Foster, Michelle Stangler, Mikayla Flyte, Natalie Roe, Olivia Lulich, Sarah Hagenow, and anyone running for a similar role, is to be yourself.

This marks the second year a reigning Alice in Dairyland will officially end her term at the Sevastopol FFA Dairy Breakfast. Ashley Hagenow attended the annual event to cap her time as the 76th Alice in Dairyland.